|
|||||
|
Shakespeare's first
folio Fitting everything together The doubters Some quotes from sceptics I no longer believe that William Shakespeare the actor from Stratford was the author of the works that have been ascribed to him. - Sigmund Freud. I am 'a sort of' haunted by the conviction that the divine William is the biggest and most successful fraud ever practiced on a patient world. - Henry James. Other admirable men have led lives in some sort of keeping with their thought, but this man was in wide contrast. - Ralph Waldo Emerson Shakespeare had no prominence while he lived, and none until he had been dead two or three generations. The Plays enjoyed high fame from the beginning; and if he wrote them it seems a pity the world did not find it out. - Mark Twain I could not understand how it were possible that a man, however gifted with the intuition of genius, could have written what was attributed to Shakespeare, unless he had been in touch with the great affairs of state, behind the scenes of political life, and also intimate with all the social courtesies, and refinements of thought, which in Shakespeare's time were only to be met with in the highest circles. - Otto von Bismarck Before I began my investigation, which finally led to the publication of this book, I was convinced -- like most other people -- that William Shakespeare was the author of the most magnificent English dramatic prose ever written, and certainly the most magnificent poetry. Nineteen years later my feelings toward the qualities of this writing have not changed; they are magnificent. Only, William Shakespeare of Stratford on Avon never wrote the plays and poems. - Calvin Hoffman Reflections on the issue of authorship : Lack of education Knowledge of languages: Shakespeare, the author, relies almost entirely on English sources for his material, particularly Holinshed's Chronicles and Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated into English by Arthur Golding and published by 1567, though the evidence suggests that he was nonetheless capable of some Latin and French. To make some assessment as to whether Shakespeare's writing reflects a lack of education, it is instructive to make a comparison of the long poems Hero and Leander, by Shakespeare's university educated contemporary, Christopher Marlowe, and Shakespeare's own Venus and Adonis. Even on a cursory reading, it is clear that Marlowe's imagery and argument derive almost entirely from his study of classical sources, while those of Shakespeare derive almost entirely from nature, and display a comprehensive knowledge of hunting (or poaching) as practised in the English countryside. Shakespeare's lack of education here stands him in good stead, lending a freshness and immediacy to his poetry which even the voluptuous beauties of Marlowe's accomplished versification cannot match: it is the freshness and immediacy of direct observation, qualities which remain with Shakespeare even when his view of the world has become very much more sophisticated. Political machinations of court life : as poet to the Earl of Southampton, with whom Shakespeare clearly enjoyed an extraordinary relationship, Shakespeare was in fact in a position to observe events of national significance unfold at first hand, including the failed Essex coup of 1601, which ended in the execution of Essex and the incarceration of Southampton. Writing convincingly about Italy : John (Giovanni) Florio was tutor to Southampton, and Shakespeare borrowed fairly indiscriminately from his Golden Sayings. He was a close source for information about the Venetian constitution, the Italian language and the waterways of northern Italy. His relationship with Southampton: Of Southampton it is recorded that 'during his time in the Irish wars, (1599) it was reported to Cecil (William Cecil, Lord Burghley) that he saw most of his active service in bed with a captain Piers Edmunds - he would "cole and hug" his captain in his arms, and "play wantonly" with him.' He had married Elizabeth Vernon in 1598. This apparent bi-sexuality accords well with the plot of the sonnets, in which a complex triangular relationship between two male lovers and a 'dark lady' is described, where the first male lover (Shakespeare) is betrayed by the second (Southampton), who is seduced by their common acquaintance, the 'dark lady'. Shakespeare's dedication of his long poem The Rape of Lucrece (1594) to Southampton also accords well with these facts: 'The love I dedicate to your lordship is without end ... What I have done is yours; what I have to do is yours; being part in all I have, devoted yours.' Disillusionment clearly followed soon afterwards, if we follow the plot of the sonnets correctly, but, of course, Shakespeare went on to greater things, and found other consolations. Given that there are no impossibilities with regard to what Shakespeare achieved, indeed that in most respects the achievement of Shakespeare the author is actually, on closer inspection, plainly consistent with the education and position of Shakespeare the historical character, it seems entirely unwarranted to suggest that he simply fronted the work of another man, as has been claimed. William Shakespeare Biography : Links An concise exposition of the recorded facts of Shakespeare's life : http://fly.hiwaay.net/~paul/shakspere/evidence1.html The complete, searchable works of Shakespeare : http://www.bartleby.com/70/ An analysis of the plays and poems : http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/shakespearebio.html#MainEssaySection A list of some of the authorship questions : http://www.fbrt.org.uk/pages/essays/essay-questions.html About the Shakespeare monument : http://www2.prestel.co.uk/rey/epitaph.htm
|
home
Shakespeare poetry Other Elizabethan poets Some commentary : Maps of London
|
||||
